Denver Equestrians

Attended Horses and Happy Hour on July 19, 2024. It was not a pleasant experience, and I didn't feel I received value for my money at all. I mentioned many times that my "horse" (the owner corrected me and said it was actually a Pony) was tired and did not want to do anything but walk in a straight line back and forth inside the arena. The pony refused to pick it up to a trot or even a cantor. I do know how to ride a horse, and the owner of the facility was rude and kept chiding me and asking me if I was afraid and questioning my ability to ride a horse or pony. I repeated myself to my assistant and to the owner, who both brushed aside my comments that the horse was tired and did not want to or could not perform. I don't think they should have used this particular animal in the first place, since I overheard them saying she had been in a show earlier in the day, and her eyes even looked exhausted/sleepy. Her name (the horse) is Mystery. I think they should have picked out another horse for me when I voiced my displeasure and it was apparent that this horse did not want to follow my instructions, or anyone else's. I did not want to have to resort to being mean or cruel to the animal to "force" it to do anything. I had to brush my own horse before and after this farce of an experience. Very highly Not Recommended. Also, our entire time inside the arena actually on the horses was about 30 minutes. Thirty minutes on a horse, even if that horse or pony was in good shape, is still not a good value for 145 dollars. The happy hour was awkward and comprised of the owners standing in the middle of the room; the conversation was about them, and a bit more about them.

Denver Equestrian Center is a five star East Coast like facility. The indoor heated arena was resurfaced with incredible footing in 2016. DE has good viewing areas along the arena and a beautiful indoor heated, decorated coffee and tea bar viewing area lounge!DE also has outdoor arenas, turnout pens, access to trails, excellent instructional classes, good school horses, excellent equestrian program for high school students, student work study programs, summer horse shows for everyone, excellent stable management team, clean padded floor stalls with bedding, heated grooming and wash rack areas, heated indoor lounge and heated tack room. The horse care management team is really attentive to details.DE office personnel are extrordinarily professional. Their customer service was without a flaw!!!!! DE offer a gift shop area in their Main and Professional business office! I have ridden horses at many private barns in the Denver area. High Prairie Farms Equestrian Center (a.k.a. Colorado Horse Park in Parker, Co) a world class International Horse Show Training Facility; Columbine in Littleton (Truly Elite and Perfect in all ways), Village Club (Family Oriented), DTC were my favorites next to Denver Equestrian Center.Denver Equestrian Center is a GREAT place to board your horse, seek training and take riding lessons. It is a full service equestrian center. They really care!!!! I loved the Christian music being played throughout the barn!!! DE is a great investment for developing equestrian skills and exoeriencng excellent care for your horse!!!! They also have horses to lease!!!

I thought I would give in my two cents as I went here for around 3-4 months for two lessons a week. As I was just getting into the Equestrian community this was really the only option I could find in the Littleton area. After about a month of riding at DE I found a lease for a horse and took it. I'll be comparing my experiences throughout this review. I stopped attending this facility in February, 2020. Lessons: As a beginner, the lessons were fine at first (sitting trot, sitting the canter, learning when to kick, learning what contact was, etc). You cannot rush beginners and it isn't always a smooth process of seeing what they need to work with. Although, after attending my lease barn and DE simultaneously I realized I was not working on the right things. Not once was I put on the lunge line to practice balance. I, personally, believe that being on a line and developing your balance/working on your seat at the beginning is crucial. No beginner can work on their body and horse at the same time; it just isn't possible. Overall, I just felt that I wasn't gaining anything personally from the lessons. Past a certain point I was stuck on certain areas of my riding and I wasn't able to improve them because other areas needed to be worked on first. This facility will only bring you so far. If you are looking to own one day or to get good, this is not the place for you. This being said, this place is fine for your young child. The lesson horses are perfectly fine for a little kid and as a child you aren't going to grasp concepts as quickly as someone that is older. Trainers: I only had lessons with two of the trainers and I felt they were fine. I don't think it was their fault that I wasn't able to get what I needed. It seemed that it was somewhere in the rules/unspoken that these things weren't really allowed.Price: This is what I've really dropped two stars off for. This place is way too expensive. For reference, an average 45-1hr English lesson is going to cost you 55-70 bucks. It's around 1K for a pack of 4 lessons. While this does include the horses bedding, medicine, and feed, it is extremely overpriced. While I do not know how these prices have changed with COVID. If you can find somewhere cheaper (not cottonwood) then go there.Facilities: Since I only rode in the winter months I cannot comment on the outside arena(s). The indoor was always done and there was never any poop. The crossties were always clean and there was rarely any stray poops just sitting around. Overall, it was a very clean place.Horse Care: This is a personal opinion but I do not like the care these horses receive. I believe they should get more space to move and longer turnout. The horses are fine functioning on what they get, just personally, I would like to see them get more accessible space (grazing paddocks). Overall, DE could be good or bad for you. It wasn't good or bad for me, just okay. For beginners I say it's plenty good. Remember that I am just one student and that my learning style will be different than yours. For any intermediate riders, steer clear of this place as you will just find yourself bored.

I love this barn! I've been riding here once a week for about 6 months now and its the highlight of my week. Everyone I've dealt with is SUPER professional and customer service-oriented (which you don't always find at a barn) which I appreciate. The barn is clean, the horses are happy and well cared for and everything is really well run and organized. I ride on the lesson horses and have found that they are all very well behaved and enjoyable. I've been riding dressage competitively but took a 10 year break for college and work and wanted to get back on a horse and this has been a perfect way to do it. My instructor is awesome and knowledgeable, she listens and is professional but also tough enough which I really appreciate. The riding arena is well maintained and spacious, the entire barn is heated in the winter which is awesome on cold days. As far as I understand there isn't an opportunity to trail ride much (or at all if you are doing a private lesson), and they are quite strict on making sure you're supervised when you get on a horse (ie no riding solo, even with 10+ years experience), but that may not be the case if you lease a horse. I also don't think they have turnout for lesson horses. I'm sure they are restricted because they don't have a lot of land or property so they do the best they can. I'm just writing from the point of view of someone who rides once a week during a private lesson and doesn't own a horse. They also seem to have a lot of education classes and clinics with well regarded professionals. You do pay quite a bit (but I feel like generally it's an expensive sport) but you also certainly get what you pay for. I would highly recommend Denver Equestrians to beginners or more advanced riders who want to get back into it. Everyone I've dealt with there is lovely and the horses seem happy which is my main concern.

My daughter has been attending day camps, summer camps and various group lessons at this barn for the past 3 years. She attended day camp over Thanksgiving break and one day camp over Christmas break. She enjoys it soooo much. She has so much fun at this barn! Her self confidence grows with every experience she has here!! It is a great, positive atmosphere. Highly recommend it!

My horse loving daughters did a week long camp this past summer and LOVED it. It was very expensive but they got a lot out of the program. By day 5, they performed skills that were impressive for beginners. The instructors were young and fun. We just bought their Boga package which is economical and my girls are so excited to go back during a school break!

If I could give this riding school a 0-star I would. I took lessons here for several years, and the horse that I rode was amazing, however as he got older he was used far too much and pushed way too far. I found out a couple weeks ago, instead of retiring him to a proper situation they sent him to a kill pen. Thank god, he was saved by a rescue facility. This place uses the horse for money and returns them with nothing. Please do not support this horrible place

The horses are worked far too much, riders are not properly educated, and staff are incredibly unprofessional and rude.

This facility is extremely expensive, way over priced for lessons/lesson packages. If you're in Littleton, there are other barns with trainers showing and winning. You can go and ride with a champion rider and a legit program for considerably less. Many of their horses have mechanical lameness issues (it doesn't hurt per se) but how is a new rider supposed to learn if they cannot feel how a horse should move? The facility is very nice though. They also share space with a therapeutic riding program for those with special needs, and they do good work.

My daughter has been riding here for many years and LOVES it. The owner and instructors are awesome and truly care about their students. We highly recommend Denver Equestrian!